Developer Interviews
Today's interview is with Tom Chilton (Lead Game Designer) on ArenaJunkies. A summary of the main points is below, but listening to the full interview is worth it if you want to hear the full answers!

Steps are being taken to balance healers, especially Shaman, in PvP. This is being done incrementally to avoid a knee jerk reaction and going too far in one direction. Moving totems back into the schools of magic was one of the changes to bring them more in line.

Discipline Priests and Monks will be buffed somewhat to bring them up to par. We should expect to see those changes on the Patch 5.2 PTR soon.

War Games will be possible Cross realm at some point in the future when time allows for the change.

It may be possible to ban one arena map in the future, similar to the map banning in random battlegrounds.

Part of the reason Tol'vir was added was to increase the chance of getting the Nagrand style map. It also is nice to have a change of scenery rather than just getting Nagrand more often.

Burst damage is still too high, making healing too high as well. Once burst comes down, the healing can be decreased as well.

One of the goals for WoW as an esport is to make it easier to watch. Part of this will be accomplished by making it easier for addon authors to create nice tournament UIs.

The DotA style battleground is still on hold, waiting for new tech to be worked on.

MMR works pretty well for matching people up, but preventing the exploits that have popped up is difficult when keeping the system balanced for all levels of players. Blizzard will keep watching for exploits and taking appropriate action.

WoW was never built from the ground up to be an easy to watch and perfectly balanced eSport, so the improvements that can be made are limited. That being said, Blizzard wants to keep improving things as much as possible.

When asked about arena balance: Burst is too high, non burst damage is too low, there are some disparities between the different healers with Shaman / Paladin being good, Druids being okay, and Discipline Priests and Monks lagging a little bit, and the amount of offensive instant cast crowd control being used.

Blizzard likes the player run tournaments and is evaluating what they can or should do to support them.

PvP Power worked out really well, with players able to use their PvP gear in PvE. Using PvE gear to start PvPing isn't working quite as well, as it was intended to be able to take raid gear and start PvPing without feeling like you were very fragile and dying very quickly.

Blizzard likes when the PvP and PvE part of the game operate the same, but is willing to make them work differently to make the game work better.

WoWkemon Addon
Today we are taking a quick look at the WoWkemon addon. It replaces the normal pet battle interface with one that will be familiar to anyone that has played Pokémon before. You can see what it looks like in the video or screenshots below. Another nice addon to use with it is Pet Battle Pokemon Mod, which will add some of the classic Pokémon music to pet battles.

Blue Posts

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Trinket Burst Damage AdjustmentsInstead of addressing the strong classes
I just want to point out that this is only one step in a process. We will continue to assess classes and individual abilities and make adjustments as necessary. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Trinket Burst Damage AdjustmentsSeems a buff for frost dk's, and if human they can align proc with on use and PoF...
You could say the same for several classes where this will help them to align their trinkets with their damaging abilities more often. However smaller burst every 60 seconds is a lot easier to survive than a much larger burst every two minutes.

The same goes for players that play human, they could take two of these trinkets and cycle them every 30 seconds with their burst abilities. Do not forget though, if a human wants to take advantage of these changed on-use trinkets will need to take two of them and give up the not-nerfed proc trinket.

The idea is good, but what gona happen with the proc trinkets?
I just answered that above for you. At this time we have no plans to be nerfing the proc trinkets, but this may change in the future.

But, an idea would be to increase resilience on the "tweaked" trinkets by; I don't know, maybe 20-25% to make them more attractive compared to PvE trinkets etc.!
We're fairly certain that it's unlikely for players to start using PvE trinkets because they would suffer a significant loss in PvP power and resilience. Do understand that we will be keeping a very close eye on the situation when this hotfix goes live and, if necessary, make the appropriate adjustments where we see they're required. This doesn't mean that the change we make would be to increase the resilience on trinkets like you suggested above, however if we do plan to make further adjustments we will let you know about them. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Updating Old ContentI often wondered why blizzard doesn't take advantage of the content people loved. Sure, new content and raids are fun but how much time would it really take to upgrade Kara to current gear levels.

I mean why in gods name wouldn't you do things like this, the Ony upgrade was great but even now its outdated by two expansions. The scarlet monastery was good but you didn't even have to redesign the dungeon, just leave them as they were.

Can you imagine if Apple decided to completely change the Iphone every release? Sure a few things are changed on each version but the core design, style, and functionality are all there and people still flock to get the latest version. Why is that, its because they have a good thing going.
I'm going to sound a bit like a broken record, so forgive me, but when we are working on updates to the game, we're looking at what works well for the ongoing development of it. Sometimes that means taking a look at previous content and updating, and sometimes it means leaving it as it is. Overall though, it's about where we want to take things next, what fits into the larger scheme of development, what can we devote resources to comfortably and still deliver the best possible experience we can in a reasonably solid time frame.

There are a lot of things that people keep bringing up that they'd like to see again, or revisit in a new and fresh way. We're not unaware of this. But, at the same time, we have to keep asking ourselves, "Does it make sense and if it does make sense, does it make sense right now?" In contrast, there are those detractors who are often upset when we do go back and refresh content. In some cases it's because they're new enough that they haven't seen it yet, in others it's because they feel we should leave well enough alone, and to others yet who feel that it's a development "cop out" and a mere recycling effort. That's not to say that these things aren't possibilities "someday", but what seems simple to you may not be quite so simple as all that.

An example of updating things on a very large scale, is Cataclysm. There was so much work done from the starting quests to the environments to the very flight paths, but to those who didn't go through the refreshed content, it was a "waste" of time. We also then had what many felt was far too little at the upper end of content for them. So, despite best efforts to refresh a significant amount of content, not everyone was pleased with it once the immediate blush was off the rose. What we must fight against is time, nostalgia, "What do I get to do/take part in?", or even "where's my challenge?" So, no, it's not as easy as that. In a perfect world, maybe it would be. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Class Forums and Blue PostsDo blue posters avoid class forums? If so - why?
The main reason that we don't make responses in the class forum is because if we post in the forum of class A, then classes B through K will start complaining about favoritism or something similar. While we may not post in threads on the class forums, we do pay attention to the opinions and feedback presented there.

And where are we supposed to turn in order to get the "official" Blizzard PoV on, for example, major nerfs to a certain spec?
These forums are designed and built in order for players to give their feedback and opinions about the current state of our games or even upcoming changes so that it can be relayed to the developers. They are not for the purpose of having a direct line of communication and discussion with blue posters. If we have some information that we can provide, we will post it, but you should not be actively searching for this as the forums are for you as the players to bring up and discuss topics.

Do we really have to post immature, whiny post in order to get attention?
Definitely not. As said above, if we have information on a given topic of discussion we will provide it. We are also more inclined to do this with more well written and presented threads rather than ranty or "whiny" posts.

you're on EU forums enough said. Blizzard doesn't care about you, they don't want your opinion, the blue post always say the same thing. It is always sad for us to see these types of comments because it is something that is simply so far from the truth, it is unreal. The European community team work tirelessly to forward on and present your feelings, feedback and opinions on to the developers. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Blue Tweets

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

QuestingYour ridiculously gated rep AND VP system for gear cost me one of my raid leaders and you a sub. Just an FYI.
players quit for a variety of reasons. We're sad when they do, but can't be held hostage to "change X or I quit." (Source)No Greg, but if a lot of peple quit for a reason and a lot of us dont quit but dont enjoy it, then somthg is wrong
of course. That's why hearing feedback is so important to us. In fact, it's more useful than threats. (Source)If your reaction and filtering of feedback wasn't so slow compared to other games, you wouldn't get threats.
A poor justification I'm afraid. Good arguments win arguments, not threats of consequences. (Source)

I dont understand why rep grind has to be one way. Let questers do dailies, raiders do dungeons and pvpers pvp...
We want players out in the world. We don't think WoW will have enough legs as an instance only game. Convenient != best design. (Source)

Mate, don't let the "rep tabard" brigade get you down. We're better off shedding instance only players from the playerbase.
Well, we don't want to shed anyone. Concern is that instance-only is convenient short term but causes loss of interest in the long. (Source)

Making dailies a requirement for rep seems like a VERY poor way to get people out of cities and make the world feel populated.
What do you want to do out in the world? (Source)

For the love of god don't buckle to the "we are forced to do dailies" minority. Don't change a thing!!!
it's just a question of volume. 12 quests a day isn't bad with some optionals. Doing GL and Klaxxi every day felt like a lot. (Source)

Well I'll just try asking again tomorrow, I realize you're busy. If you see this tweet, check my profile for the initial ?
we've heard a lot of feedback on dailies, and we'll likely try some tweaks to keep players out in the world but address concerns. (Source)

For 5.1 can we have a short term (20min?) LFR buff that simulates the rep tabards for the last rep we did dailies with today?
Talking about some ideas. So long as someone can't finish rep in one weekend by chain running, we're open to it. (Source)

ClassesSo many classes and specs are overpowered right now, why won't you apply hotfixes rather than waiting months for patch 5.1?
We can't hotfix everything and it's frustrating for players to constantly suspect ninja nerfs. We hotfix egregious stuff. (Source)

Do you think it's still possible to add new class in the game without too much redundancy ?
I hope so. (Source)

Alot of people were complaining about "Stampede". Not the Bestial Wrath ability. Critical mistake on your end
We nerfed Bestial Wrath and Avatar. We're regretting offensive abilities that prevent CC. Encourages tunneling and burst. (Source)

talent system is awesome btw. Way better than anything before.
We agree. A few talents aren't quite there but the system is much better IMO. I see players changing talents for the first time. (Source)

As a rouge i have problems getting a clean opner in arena and duel because of the amount of aoe effects in the game. toughts?
TBH, it kind of bugs me personally that AEs are so efficient at breaking stealth. Would be a huge change to revert though. (Source)

Ever thought of smaller patch changes? Like changing an ability dmg in 5% increments a week instead of 25% all at once?
One risk of small changes is players don't notice. Flashy changes can sometimes get players to try a class / talent / strat. (Source)

Druid (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)Any word on healing mushrooms? They are pretty useless but have so much potential.
Agree they aren't there yet, but we want them to be sutiational, and not used on cooldown. (Source)Any chance for some 5.1 love? Thank you for responding to my first tweet ever!
Maybe not for 5.1. We want to make sure there's time for players to try out any changes. It's on our radar though. (Source)

Did static mana pools really gave you the freedom you needed to design better enocunters? Are we balanced?
The problem with +Int providing infinite mana didn't manifest until later tiers. Still like the change though. (Source)

And of course, would love to hear how you feel healers compare for PvE and how Mistweavers have played out.
Pretty happy with healer balance overall. MW were too good in 5.0. Raiders discovering Disc now and we have to keep an eye on it. (Source)

Paladin (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)In your eyes are Shockadins a legitimate form of Raid DPS, or is that unintentional or unwelcome? Not even sure if its viable.
Holy isn't a dps spec. We tried to provide some support for players who like it, but it will likely stay a niche. (Source)

Priest (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)I really like to know what you guys think about Holy and Disc priests perfomance in PvP. Not many people want them.
Most teams just want Resto shaman. We think we'll see more priests in 5.1. (Source)

Rogue (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)Nobody uses Tricks of the Trade anymore in Raids. You found a way to make that useless too! Get a dev 4 rogues. ur useless.
Quick poll of the raiders in my office, and they all use Tricks of the Trade. Small sample size is small. (Source)

playing devil's advocate a little, if the 5.1 changes don't 'fix' rogues, will further changes happen immediately or in 5.2?
Depends on the degree. If I say "immediately" though, then I'll just hear about how I broke promises, so I can't say. (Source)

serious question, does blizzard have numbers on how many people have taken versatility as a talent? I'm betting its VERY low.
We do, and it is low. We're looking at all unpopular and too popular talents and considering changes. (Source)

Saying Cold Blooded made us not care about crit as a stat is terrible logic since crit is now our worst stat by a long shot.
Last I looked, crit was behind haste and mastery for Combat, but not by much, and even better for the other two. (Source)

Shaman (Forums / Skills / Talent Calculator)I'm just a wee bit :O at the totem nerfs. What's the thinking behind it? Will Tremor still break fear? Don't like this change!
We thought they were too hard to counter. Have a lot of utility (not just group buffs) in 5.0 and you just have to endure them (Source)

Ever had a thought about warrior's shockwave? Every 20 seconds for an AoE stun and damage seems a bit much versus rogue KS.
It's something we looked at, but we nerfed warriors a lot for PvP and we don't want to overdo it. Not all are taking SW yet. (Source)

Do you not think it's a little unfair that Fury has never been good in Arena? Other specs had their time to shine except Fury.
The bigger topic is whether it's fair to players (or reasonable to balance) to have 34 viable 3v3 Arena specs. (Source)

Dear God please no. Farming that crap instance for 2 years in TBC was enough.

I had fond memories and of and nice feelings towards ZA, their stupid rehash + gimpy randoms totally tainted what I feel about the dungeon now.

BTW: That Draenei Pally looks totally awesome <3

I swear the only people who want Kara to be remade are the people who missed out on doing that content when it was top of the line progression content. (I.E people who joined in Wrath, or late end TBC who just heard 'stories' of how awesome it was.)

I find it hilarious that GC is still talking about Cold Blood, and yet no one has called him out on the major issue! Cold Blood doesn't devalue crit! How in the hell can a guaranteed crit every 3 min devalue the stat by any significant amount? I'm not a mathamagican, but I'm guessing it doesn't. That's a pretty crappy reason for scrapping the ability.

Honestly I think Assassination could use another cooldown. Two is a bit low. Seems to me most DPS specs have three or more.

Thank the gods they didn't go with something like that UI for default pet battles, not a fan of the look or how the UI real estate is being used. (Yes, pokemon, and yes, I say this as a huge 'x-bit' era gfx fan.) But good for those that require it for the right feel, aye?

I know people have different circumstances and that's cool, but here's my perspective: I think rep tabards were awesome. Back during vanilla and Bc I had the free time to do the attunements and huge rep grinds. These days, I don't have that luxury. Wrath and cata were great because I could still build the reps I needed, run the dungeons I needed, and still participate in organized raids all in a limited time frame. MoP's daily situation shot me down almost out of the gate. I just don't have the time to do those, plus the dungeons, plus the raids that I only have a limited amount of time to do them in. I understand people out there have all the free time in the world, and that's great. Unfortunately I don't and it came down to either blow off real life or quit wow because I couldn't get anything I used to do in the game done. I wish there was better balance so both sides of this coin could still feel involved.

I swear the only people who want Kara to be remade are the people who missed out on doing that content when it was top of the line progression content. (I.E people who joined in Wrath, or late end TBC who just heard 'stories' of how awesome it was.)

I know people have different circumstances and that's cool, but here's my perspective: I think rep tabards were awesome. Back during vanilla and Bc I had the free time to do the attunements and huge rep grinds. These days, I don't have that luxury. Wrath and cata were great because I could still build the reps I needed, run the dungeons I needed, and still participate in organized raids all in a limited time frame. MoP's daily situation shot me down almost out of the gate. I just don't have the time to do those, plus the dungeons, plus the raids that I only have a limited amount of time to do them in. I understand people out there have all the free time in the world, and that's great. Unfortunately I don't and it came down to either blow off real life or quit wow because I couldn't get anything I used to do in the game done. I wish there was better balance so both sides of this coin could still feel involved.

But you really need to think about it outside the box. In WOTLK, were you really building rep? or were you just getting an epic item every 20 heroic dungeons you did? That was all that was happening.. it has nothing to do with the actual reputation or the lore, or anything.. it simply came down to ´ok, I do 20 dungeons, I can buy another epic for a little gold´. It wasn´t a faction, there was no story.

The current system is much better. Not only does it get you out in the world questing.. but it also is a huge way for the devs to tell a story. It isn´t just a random bar filling up that has no relation to the dungeon you are doing.. you are actually filling up a bar doing things that advance the story of that faction.

Think about the difference between the MoP factions and the Wotlk factions. I know EXACTLY what the klaxxi, GL, SP, AC and DOM are about. I know what their overall goals are, I know who and why they are fighting... I feel like I am helping THEM with their objectives.

I think it is unfortunate that GL quests were so poorly done. I firmly believe a big portion of the whining about dailies is because that first quest area for GL as so bad and it was necessary to get to the other factions.

DDO ( Dungeon and Dragons online) has a raid system in place where the 20th time you do a raid, you are guaranteed a reward. It seems artificial and grindy, very similar to the tabard method. I think every rep but GL, I much prefer doing 15 minutes worth of daily quests that changed and rotated and reflected the purpose of that faction.

Finally, one more point. GL was probably the lowpoint of dailies in Mop for a different reason.... gear. When we first got to those initial GL dailies, we were in our first week, and probably had ilvl 460ish trying to kill 393k mobs. That is much slower and difficult then doing it with 490 ilvl gear. For those 393k mobs, I barely can get in a ferocious bite (kity druid).. when I was back in 460 ilvl, I was going through almost 10 CPs before the mob died.

The system we have now is sound. 15mins worth of daily quests to earn luckycharms, VP and most importantly, progress the story is not too much to ask.

But you really need to think about it outside the box. In WOTLK, were you really building rep? or were you just getting an epic item every 20 heroic dungeons you did? That was all that was happening.. it has nothing to do with the actual reputation or the lore, or anything.. it simply came down to ´ok, I do 20 dungeons, I can buy another epic for a little gold´. It wasn´t a faction, there was no story.

The current system is much better. Not only does it get you out in the world questing.. but it also is a huge way for the devs to tell a story. It isn´t just a random bar filling up that has no relation to the dungeon you are doing.. you are actually filling up a bar doing things that advance the story of that faction.

Think about the difference between the MoP factions and the Wotlk factions. I know EXACTLY what the klaxxi, GL, SP, AC and DOM are about. I know what their overall goals are, I know who and why they are fighting... I feel like I am helping THEM with their objectives.

I think it is unfortunate that GL quests were so poorly done. I firmly believe a big portion of the whining about dailies is because that first quest area for GL as so bad and it was necessary to get to the other factions.

DDO ( Dungeon and Dragons online) has a raid system in place where the 20th time you do a raid, you are guaranteed a reward. It seems artificial and grindy, very similar to the tabard method. I think every rep but GL, I much prefer doing 15 minutes worth of daily quests that changed and rotated and reflected the purpose of that faction.

Finally, one more point. GL was probably the lowpoint of dailies in Mop for a different reason.... gear. When we first got to those initial GL dailies, we were in our first week, and probably had ilvl 460ish trying to kill 393k mobs. That is much slower and difficult then doing it with 490 ilvl gear. For those 393k mobs, I barely can get in a ferocious bite (kity druid).. when I was back in 460 ilvl, I was going through almost 10 CPs before the mob died.

The system we have now is sound. 15mins worth of daily quests to earn luckycharms, VP and most importantly, progress the story is not too much to ask.

The system we have today is far from sound and far from 15 minute worth of dailies. It is simple an extra nuisance. It makes the player go out of their way precisely to get them out of the world for reasons that many would rather not do but are compelled by such awesome rewards. GL is bad but it is not the only one and it isn't the point. The point is that de linking reputations from dungeon grinding has made reputation INSANELY grindy because it's no longer part of something you would naturally be doing anyway. The developers have this ass backwards. THey shouldn't be wanting to throw more grind in your face and call it content. If they want to keep you subbed for a year round they have to do a better job at releasing fresh content, not make the game grindier.

So ressto shaman are too strong then they nerf alot of shaman unique abilities and fucks up Ele and enhance even more, seems like an awesome idea to fix resto shamans only, too bad it srews over 2 other specs for that class.